We are a very small business in Virginia and have been hard hit by the economy. We started processing with Allstate Merchant Services (AMS) in mid. We were hoping to save some fees and get better rates with them than our previous credit card processor. Boy were we surprised.
I was promised by the sales rep that when I received the credit card machine in mail it would be ready to use... That it was pre-programmed. He termed it "plug and play". It took almost ONE month to even get the machine shipped to me. Once it was received we started using it immediately. Seven days later my bank called me to ask if we had any deposits coming in to cover the checks that were arriving to be paid. I was shocked! I had processed over $20,000 in the previous week. Where was my money? NOTHING had posted since we started using the machine.
Of course I was on the phone right away with AMS. The machine was working properly, batching out every night. The problem was no one ever linked my bank account to my machine. So, they had over $20k sitting there unposted for over a week! On top of that, they caused me over $800 in overdraft charges from my bank.initially they said they would pay me back, but of course, never did.
My next problem was in September when we needed to change our bank account on file with AMS. The process went smoothly but they then charged me a $495.00 early termination fee! I NEVER terminated!
It has been my experience so far with AMS that you can never get anyone on the phone. You always get a voicemail and no one calls back. I did finally talk to several different people who assured me that the money would be returned in a few days. Guess what? One year later and I still do not have my money back. IT GETS BETTER...
After repeated phones calls, I finally got a nice girl to really try to help me out in February. She actually got the process rolling and got the money put back in my account. Only problem was they accidentally put $495.00 into my account twice. Not so bad, right? Wrong! They realized their mistake and removed the $495.00 THREE TIMES! I am now out $990.00.
I need my money back. I have bills to pay and I cannot throw away that $990!
In the beginning of August I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Considering AMS's "F" rating with them, I knew I wasn't going to hear back from them with a resolution. Guess what? I didn't!
So now I am left with finding sites like complaint and warning other unsuspecting souls to stay away from them. They are thieves. I am going to file a claim in court here in VA and I will probably get my judgement because they won't show up. Who knows if I will ever get any money back.By the time I am done trying everything I can, I will have spent way more than the $990 they owe me.
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